Chapter 17: The Bridge to Hope
Also known as "The Assault on Vasel Bridge" this is the eighteenth chapter in Valkyria Chronicles. Lupus | vehicles = Heavy AT Cannon x 2 Heavy Imperial Tank x 3 | officers = Shocktrooper Leader x 2 Scout Leader x 2 | aces = Ty the Immortal | ace drop = ZM MP 5(g) }} Story Squad 7 hurried back towards Randgriz, but found their way barred by Jaeger's heavily armored unit, which had set up a blockade at the Great Vasel Bridge. The bridge had made Squad 7 famous, and it once again become the stage of battle. Welkin and the others felt their love for their country being tested as they fought their way through these familiar streets. As the two forces stood face to face, Jaeger openly admitted that he had no personal quarrel with Squad 7, and even went so far as to say that he knew what the Empire was fighting for was not fair or just in any way. Still, he had come this far for the sake of his homeland, and the only way for him to restore his homeland was by defeating Squad 7. Jaeger sent every last tank under his control into battle against Squad 7, hoping to put a stop to their interference. Topography Set in the same location as one of the first missions "The Battle for the Bridge," there are only a few differences since then. The Gallian forces start on the eastern portion of the map, rather than starting from the south. Also, a portion of the south-east portion of the map has been opened up, while some of the south-west portion of the map has been sealed off. There are a total of 4 enemy bases, each of which are adequately defended by a variety of different units. There are also a number of units positioned in the alleyways and rooftops of the buildings, so be prepared for interception fire from multiple directions. Landmarks and Street Names *East First Street *East Fourth Street *East Fourth Street *East Second Street *East Third Street *Highplot Lane *Lowplot Lane *Randgriz Boulevard *Vasel River *West Riverside Street Here is a brief on the task at hand "The Empire is waiting for us on this side of the bridge with an ironclad defensive formation. General Radi Jaeger is in command. He's lived through more battles under the Empire's standard than I can count. That said, he'll need to stand aside this time. We've got to get past that blockade if we hope to take back Randgriz. Engage them and break through. That's the only way we can secure a path back to the capital in time. Your objective is to defeat Jaeger. He's one of the Empire's most renowned tank commanders. Expect tank strategy of a caliber you've not seen. As to what, I'm afraid I've got no specifics to offer you. Find a window out there and break it." Strategy The Lupus Regnum's gimmick is a layer of add-on armour it can regenerate fully at any Imperial-held camp. The armor must be destroyed first before the Lupus itself can be attacked. In addition, it can fire smoke rounds at friendly units, typically flags, to protect them. Capturing the Imperial flags before attacking Lupus is the safest way to deal with the boss tank, but it is readily possible to defeat Lupus Regnum without doing so with enough strong Lancers on hand; four should be enough with a full set of CP on hand to move them. Lancers here should be at around level 17; strong candidates include Largo Potter, Jann Walker, Yoko Martens, Hector Calvey and Audrey Heitinga if she has become recruitable. Lupus' interception fire is fearsome, making getting behind the tank for the final pair of shots to the radiator the most risky part of doing this. The second battle is extremely variable since Lupus' movements can be hard to predict, but it will typically make for the lower base camp; the majority of Lancers should be deployed here and moved to be ready to pounce on it. With the Ultimate Anti-armor potential unlocked, the battle can easily be over in as few as two turns; the maximum rank will be given if it is defeated in less than five. *Jaeger will use one or more Orders (All Units Attack, All Units Aim, or All Units Evade) if any of his camps are captured or his armor is stripped, which costs the enemy side 2-6 CP per turn. However, due to the large amount of CP regained each turn by the enemy, it effectively allows him to issue these Orders without any real negative impact on his movement and attack options. *The Lupus will always attack once with either its main cannon or mortar (if one of your units is within range), and then use another turn to fire a smoke round. The smoke round will most of the time cover an enemy base, which can actually be used to your advantage. Move into the smoke screen with Scouts and slowly search for enemy troops without running into them. Since the enemy is not able to spot you, you can easily position yourself behind them and get easy headshots on even the Elite Leaders. It is also possible to spot enemies in smoke by exploiting an oddity of the engine: the smoke effect will only appear in the main "window" of the screen, while at the edges it is possible to see the outlines of enemy soldiers. This can be used to find the height of an enemy's head while quite a distance from them. *The flamethrower attachment for Shocktroopers and the Shamrock are excellent options for this mission, as there are a large number of enemy troops crouched behind cover and are often densely packed close to the enemy bases. The Shamrock's flamethrower, in particular, is capable of sometimes clearing out an entire enemy base in one sweep due to its very wide range. *Always remember to keep the radiators of your tanks in a position that will make it difficult for the enemy forces to directly hit. Pushing forward and taking out each enemy base as quickly is the best way to prevent an enemy reinforcement ambush. *To destroy the Lupus, it might be more efficient to use Lancers as opposed to the Edelweiss or the Shamrock's cannons. In particular, Audrey Heitinga, Elysse Moore, and Jann Walker all have the potential "Ultimate Anti-armor," which will greatly reduce the number of shots needed to destroy the Lupus. In addition, Lancers only cost one CP rather than two for a tank. *It is possible to complete the mission in one turn using a lancer with "Ultimate Anti-armor" and a powerful lance (M20R was used in testing but M20 is likely sufficient). Place the lancer in the leftmost position in the leftmost camp. The only other units needed are the CP boost units. Use Defense Boost on the lancer and advance towards the tank. The enemy units will fire at you, but will deal minimal damage. On the third movement of the lancer, the tank should be within view, so begin attacking. It takes four shots to destroy the armor and two to destroy the tank itself, for a total of six shots. The player will have just enough CP available to attack the tank three times, use Resupply, and then attack another three times. Rewards Aftermath Though he had lost the battle against the militia, Jaeger did not seem troubled. After making sure that his troops had safely fled the area, Jaeger sent a final messenger to Maximilian. In his message, Jaeger warned Maximilian against underestimating the militia. He also noted that he would be leaving the Empire and its army. Jaeger knew why he had lost the battle against Squad 7, and it had shown him the error of his way. A country was not meant to be ruled by sheer military force, but by the spirit of its citizens, and the bond they share with one another. Leaving his cautionary message in the care of the royal messenger, Jaeger disappeared into the dark pillars of smoke. Notes/Trivia Category:Valkyria Chronicles Category:Valkyria Chronicles Missions